In just the first few months of the year, K-pop has already witnessed the departure of quite a number of idols from well-known groups. The first and biggest ѕнσ¢к was Heeseung leaving ENHYPEN while continuing his solo activities under Belift Lab. Then, in early April, came the consecutive departures of Mark and Ten within just three days. While Mark announced his complete separation from the NCT system, Ten stated that he would “seek opportunities to participate in WayV and NCT if possible,” which was implicitly understood as leaving little to no chance of reuniting with the lineup.
There are many reasons why idols leave their groups, with the most common being contract duration—typically around seven years. When reaching this milestone, artists must choose whether to renew their contracts or pursue a new path that better aligns with their personal direction. In addition, differences between individual career plans and group activities, work pressure, as well as the desire to explore other fields such as acting, producing, or solo promotions can all contribute to such decisions.
Therefore, although regrettable, these changes still reflect a familiar pattern within K-pop—where long-term stability for a group is never easy to achieve. Even Jin, who has been with BTS for over a decade, has acknowledged this harsh reality, revealing that he himself once faced the possibility of leaving the group.
Specifically, in a conversation on the YouTube channel “Life84,” when Kian84 asked, "You debuted at 22 and now you're 35—what has changed the most during that time?", Jin replied, "My mindset has actually changed for the better. Back in the day, I thought I might stop after about 7 years of promotions, but as I kept going, it became more fun and I grew more sincere about it."
This mention recalls the story of BTS’s first contract renewal with BigHit Music around 2018—a particularly difficult period that moved the members to tears when they recalled it while receiving a Daesang on stage at MAMA that same year. As for Jin, he once candidly expressed his struggles, saying that all the pressure came from not knowing how much attention they would receive upon debut and the hardships that followed. "I don’t like garnering so much attention, and it’s hard psychologically. I don’t have the confidence to endure this pressure", he said.
But in the end, as everyone can see, Jin and the members not only renewed their contracts once but twice, and have recently returned with the album ARIRANG, which reached No.1 on Billboard after three years of focusing on solo activities during their group hiatus. At the core of it all is the harmony and strong bond among the seven members!
In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg, when asked, “Did the success of any of your solo work make you guys reconsider coming back? Did you think, okay, now I’m just going to go be a solo act?”, Jin answered, “It’s less of whether our solo albums do better or the group albums do better. We just love doing group promotions more,” demonstrating his unwavering affection for BTS.
In the documentary BTS: The Return, Jin once again reaffirmed his feelings for the group, saying, “In LA, when I reunited with the members, I didn’t feel like colleagues, but more like seeing family I hadn’t seen in a while.”
In another interview, Jin once explained the secret behind BTS maintaining their lineup over time: “It’s hard to maintain a team if there is a person who wants to do whatever he wants as he thinks he is successful. However, each one of us does not cross the line and concedes what he wants to do for the other members. I think that’s why we can maintain our team.”
Additionally, another reason Jin revealed in his conversation with Kian84 is that fans are a major source of motivation that helped him give up the idea of leaving the group. Jin pointed out: "Thanks to the fans, I felt that I could do this for a longer time and with even greater seriousness."
Finally, to conclude with RM’s words: “The reason we’ve kept the group together until now is the love between members, and so much love and respect for you guys (ARMYs).” Witnessing BTS’s unchanged lineup in the ever-changing world of K-pop only deepens fans’ admiration for Jin’s steadfastness as well as the strong bond shared by all the members!
